User interface and geo-parsing data structure

Abstract

A method to allocate memory, in response to application requests, for a compact data structure having location data and a trailer section is provided. The trailer section of the compact data structure is checked to determine an offset for listings and indices representing the location data. Upon determining the offset, the listings and indices are loaded into memory and responses to the application requests are generated by utilizing the listings and indices stored in the memory.

We claim: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method to provide selections that complete partial address information, the method comprising:
 receiving the partial address information through an interface having a set of fields for geographic locations, wherein the partial address information completes a first subset of fields of the set of fields, leaving a second subset of fields of the set of fields as missing portions of the partial address information; 
 locating, in a data structure, offsets to address information corresponding to at least some of the missing portions; and 
 generating, a set of options that includes the address information corresponding to the at least some of the missing portions; 
 wherein the data structure comprises lists of geographic location information such that a first geographic location is separately listed multiple times within the data structure, at least once in each of multiple ones of the lists of geographic location information; and 
 wherein one of the lists of geographic location information is a city list, the data structure separately comprising an ab city index correlating a first one or more letters of a city name with an offset into a first entry in the city list that begins with the first one or more letters. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the partial address information comprises a city; 
 the missing portions of the partial address information comprise a zip code and a state; 
 the set of options comprises states and zip codes related to the city; and 
 the locating comprises referencing a city-state-zip list in the data structure which lists cities and corresponding states having the listed cities, and corresponding zip codes having the listed cities in the corresponding states. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the data structure is memory-mapped. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data structure comprises an offset array providing an index of offsets into at least some of the lists of geographic location information. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data structure comprises:
 a first list listing, for each state, cities within that state; and 
 a second list, separate from the first list, the second list listing, for each zip code, at least one corresponding city and state. 
 
     
     
       6. A computing device having processors and memories, wherein the memories store, computer-executable instructions and a data structure including address information stored in an improved storage format, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to perform a method to provide selections that complete partial address information utilizing the address information, the computing device further comprising:
 the data structure which comprises lists of geographic location information such that a first geographic location is separately listed multiple times within the data structure, at least once in each of multiple ones of the lists of geographic location information, wherein one of the lists of geographic location information is a city list, the data structure separately comprising an ab city index correlating a first one or more letters of a city name with an offset into a first entry in the city list that begins with the first one or more letters; 
 an input component which provides an application request having partial address information; and 
 a display component which renders a graphical user interface having a set of fields for geographic locations, wherein the partial address information completes a first subset of fields of the set of fields, leaving a second subset of fields of the set of fields as missing portions of the partial address information, the display component being updated by generating, for selective display based on the location data stored in the data structure, a set of options that includes address information corresponding to at least some of the missing portions. 
 
     
     
       7. The computing device of  claim 6 , wherein the data structure is in a compressed format. 
     
     
       8. The computing device of  claim 6 , wherein the data structure comprises an offset array comprising offset-count pairs for at least some of the lists of geographic location information. 
     
     
       9. The computing device of  claim 8 , wherein the applications executing on the computing device read at least one of the plurality of offset-count pairs to determine a location of a list of cities in the data structure, and a number of cities in the list of cities. 
     
     
       10. The computing device of  claim 6 , wherein the data structure comprises:
 a first list listing, for each state, cities within that state; and 
 a second list, separate from the first list, the second list listing, for each zip code, at least one corresponding city and state. 
 
     
     
       11. A computer storage medium, storing computer usable instructions configured to perform a method for providing selections that complete partial address information, the method comprising:
 receiving the partial address information through an interface having a set of fields for geographic locations, wherein the partial address information completes a first subset of fields of the set of fields, leaving a second subset of fields of the set of fields as missing portions of the partial address information; 
 locating, in a data structure, offsets to address information corresponding to at least some of the missing portions; and 
 generating, a set of options that includes the address information corresponding to the at least some of the missing portions; 
 wherein the data structure comprises lists of geographic location information such that a first geographic location is separately listed multiple times within the data structure, at least once in each of multiple ones of the lists of geographic location information; and 
 wherein one of the lists of geographic location information is a city list, the data structure separately comprising an ab city index correlating a first one or more letters of a city name with an offset into a first entry in the city list that begins with the first one or more letters. 
 
     
     
       12. The computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the partial address information comprises a city; 
 the missing portions of the partial address information comprise a zip code and a state; 
 the set of options comprises states and zip codes related to the city; and 
 the locating comprises referencing a city-state-zip list in the data structure which lists cities and corresponding states having the listed cities, and corresponding zip codes having the listed cities in the corresponding states. 
 
     
     
       13. The computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the data structure is memory-mapped. 
     
     
       14. The computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the data structure comprises an offset array providing an index of offsets into at least some of the lists of geographic location information. 
     
     
       15. The computer storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the data structure comprises:
 a first list listing, for each state, cities within that state; and 
 a second list, separate from the first list, the second list listing, for each zip code, at least one corresponding city and state.